Tag Archives: PetSense

These are the words that come to my head when I think of the unrelenting passion my twin, twelve-year-old daughters share for the animal kingdom.

Now, it is no secret in my world that the sort of animal love they share is not the typical kind of love children tend to bear for creatures. It truly borderlines on, dare I say, an obsession.

What’s ours is yours!

And although they have this sense of animal kinship, they seem to be particularly captivated by none other than “Man’s Best Friend.”

I love you, Coleman.

This special affinity towards dogs is displayed regularly and with unrelenting constraint. Their love is bountiful and unsparing and at times quite annoying.

Because…with love must come ownership.

One dog wasn’t enough…now we have four.

We were (I was) happy with the two deliciously easy small Shih Tzus we had.

Ollie (baby

Boogie (mama)

BUT THEY INSISTED/BEGGED/PLEADED to get a big dog. So we did.

Meet Coleman

But that wasn’t enough. And they just kept rescuing them.

Yeah, we did. We’re the owners.

I used to have these gorgeous, shiny hardwood floors, but now I have scratched up hairy floors. I used to have furniture and clothing with no scars. I now have to fix a cocktail just to look around the house making sure there is no new damage. (Great Excuse…hahaha!)

It’s always fun too when one of them leaves one of their special treasures.

It’s always a toss-up too; the choices are poop, pee, blood, a baby tooth, a chewed something or other that’s not supposed to be, or puke.

It’s awesome. I love my life!

Jesus take the wheel.

My girls love to create dog food, cook dog treats, train dogs, groom dogs, walk dogs–you name it. They even have a business where they do all of the things above for a small fee just so they can spend more time with dogs.

They even dress them up and put them in special poses not designed to humiliate the dog, but to have a running record of just how special they are.

I will do whatever you want me to do as long as you keep loving me.

The funny thing is, dogs adore them too.

This sacred relationship is by far, not a one-way street. These dogs will let them do just about anything to them just in the hopes of their profoundly welcomed attention.

I love my girls, I love their dogs, and in the big scheme of things, the hair, the dirt, and whatnot are just a blip on the radar screen of…our life; our big, happy life.

Being the mother of two animal lovin’ girls, I face the challenge of loss much more often than I’d like to think is normal.

Sophie and her Maine crab

My daughters (10 year old twins) have grown up through the years investigating and loving everything that has a heartbeat– and I mean everything.

Oh, the treasures they have brought me throughout the years! They have adopted and cared for lizards, beetles, wooly bears, birds, worms, lightning bugs, lady bugs, a praying mantis, Freddie the Rat, frogs, snakes, squirrels, hermit crabs, dogs, cats, mice, guinea pigs, and chickens (the list could go on forever).

It’s a new guinea pig!

They have bandaged, wrapped, and nursed to health (most of the time successfully) birds that couldn’t fly, kittens that were almost road kill, and snakes that, well…were.

I have spent more than I’d like to admit on various types of cages, hay, toys, chews, treats, food, bowls, litter, pet beds, and replacement animals.

Vets for Halloween

They even proclaimed their future careers at the ripe ol’ age of three to be veterinarians. (But, of course!)

Well, with that plethora of small animals has come many the memorial service followed by a ritualistic burial complete with a resting place, headstone, and a prayer (we must all be present for).

These moments aren’t easy. They come with sadness, a few giggles (stifled), and the feelings of great loss–really. It’s heartbreaking to watch your child mourn the death of something they have loved, played with, cared for, and of course named.

Ash was an especially tough loss

In fact, I cannot count the times I myself have shed tears over the furry little bodies we’ve buried and the eulogies we’ve delivered.

But, truly, what do we have to gain if we never jump off that cliff–never love even though it ultimately may bring pain?

I do believe that Alfred Lord Tennyson said it best, though, “‘Tis better to have loved and lost/ Than to never have loved at all.” (“In Memoriam” line 15).

Look, mom.

I have enjoyed these experiences and have been able to let the “true” animal lover in me come out as a result. I’ve been able to let go of my inner OCD issues (sort of) and embrace all things living.

My girls love hard, care brilliantly, and respect living creatures in a way that still amazes me, and I will forever be grateful to them for bringing their animal love and all of the madness that comes with it to my world.